[ACTION | Caverns Expedition Log]

[antiseptic]

Log Deputy: Rei antiseptic and Charles makeitquick
Participating Characters: Jade Curtiss, Imogen Moreno, Flynn, Chris Ramirez, Ezreal, Melaka Fray, William Flemming, Varun "Banzu" Elmas, Eren Jaeger, Armin Arlert, Elhaym van Houten (Elly), Ondorus Univir, Lux Crownguard...possibly more! Feel free to gatecrash the party at any time.
Plot Description: A group of intrepid explorers set out in search of an iron mine. Things probably don't go as expected.
Warnings/Notes: Possible violence?

QUICK LINKS: Pre-exploration mingling | Travel | Arrival at Caverns | Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3

Overview:
At 6AM, the group will be meeting at the city gates, where there'll be some time for mingling and last minute emergencies before they set off.

The group will travel east through the Verdant Forest for around half a day before reaching the Caverns. It will be freezing with a few flurries of snowfall. Try not to get lost! Or disturb hibernating Pokemon, for that matter.

At the Caverns, Jade will split everyone up into three groups. Group 1 will consist of Elly, Eren, Armin, Ondorus, Chris. Group 2 will be Jade, Melaka, Banzu, Flynn. Group 3 is Imogen, Ezreal, Flemming, and Lux. These groups aren't fixed, and characters are free to protest and try move around! Ideally, each group will end up with at least 4 members just for safety's sake.

Aaand after that, the exploration begins! At first there'll be nothing but caves and tunnels, but it shouldn't take very long for that to change...


Misc notes: Feel free to go wild with thread-jacking! The mods recommend not strictly enforcing a post order since things will probably stall that way. Also, if anyone wants a random wild Pokemon bonding encounter going in the mountains during any of this, just respond to the Map post as usual!

If you need to ask any questions, the quickest way to get in touch with me will be through PMs.

Comments

[for_realsies]

"Didn't you get my note? I made a new friend. She's just a bit... shy, and I hadn't gotten to explaining the warp bands yet."

There's a pause before she adds.

"If you guys are waiting on me saying it's clear, I did send Brighteyes on his own, this area is pretty safe. Not a lot of wildthings wanted to wander in this part of the cave structure."

[indy_wannabe]

"Well, if that's the case, let's just hit the bigger tunnel. If you've already explored it, no reason to all go down. Im can catch up."

[ladyofluminosity]

"If you think so..." Lux started, sounding a bit uncertain. She trusted his judgment, however, and Imogen was, as far as she could tell, more of a seasoned veteran at this sort of thing.

"We won't be too far ahead!" She called in, raising her warp band and summoning her Onix back. "Shall we, then?"

[for_realsies]

"I haven't fully explored this section, I got caught up and stopped to have tea. I'll catch up in a bit, don't have too much fun!"

Imogen is very nonplussed about this dangerous important mission to find metals.

"Oh! Right, what took you guys? I thought you guys wouldn't be too far behind me! Yet you guys were busy for a while..."

[indy_wannabe]

"Lux bonded with an Onix. It was... exciting. Yeah, let's go with exciting."

Ezreal's tone is flat.

[ladyofluminosity]

Wow, way to over-simplify things. Also did that Onix just chuckle? It's hard to say.

[for_realsies]

"Exciting like it has quite a few surprising opinions on our mission to hunt for ore and the geopolitical ramifications it'll have on the local population, or exciting like that time we were chased out of old city by a tribe of Grimers?"

[indy_wannabe]

"Exciting like I almost got flattened."

[for_realsies]

"So like the Grimer thing, got it! Onix-that-probably-has-a-great-name-but-I-don't-know-it-yet, don't flatten him, he's really useful!"

"...Usually."

[ladyofluminosity]

"Oh, I don't think she would have flattened you." Smashed him into a wall, maybe, but gently perhaps. That's what she told herself at least. "Imogen, stay safe okay? We'll only be a little further along, if you get lost send us a message through the warp band."

Setting a hand on Onix, she looks toward the other two. "Should we go further down the path we were on before? Do you think it will bring us back to the surface? It was starting to head upward."

NPCing flavoring hi

[makeitquick]

In relation to both paths - both paths do lead upwards. Also, the higher up they get, the colder it gets and clearer it becomes that both paths must open up to the cold upper reaches of the mountains.

The larger one that the onix can traverse through slopes up at a gradual rate, and a little more than half way up the path there will start to be numerous sounds of what is clearly fighting off to a chamber to the side. Sounds of rocks falling, and numerous noises of battling pokemon. They can choose to go investigate this, or ignore it.

The smaller path Imogen started off on is much steeper, and therefore more direct - it gets colder faster, but it also becomes increasingly narrow. Where the opening do it could fit a human through it with effort, closer to the other end of it, it becomes much to small for anything much bigger than a small pokemon to fit through it. There also is nothing much else of interest down that pathway other than the before-mentioned entrance to the upper levels of the mountain

[indy_wannabe]

Ezreal dials up Imogen again.

"Hey Im, it looks like we're coming up to the outside. I hear some Pokemon fighting, we're gonna check it out. Catch up when you can."

[for_realsies]

Ignore the struggling as Imogen's path is getting more narrow. "I've got a bit too much figure for this path, and given how my new friend is looking at it, I know where it goes anyway."

"What- hey! I'll be up shortly!" Imogen would ask them 'what part of pokemon fighting sounds like a good thing to check out without her' but Ez will just say something stupid and do it anyway, so she'll book it for them instead.

[ladyofluminosity]

Lux kept Camille close in case she decided to run off again, choosing instead to hop down from Onix's back. "Should I throw a light down that way? We'll be able to see what's going on much better."

[myfedorarocks]

Flemming nods, turning towards Lux. "Sounds like a good idea to me."

[indy_wannabe]

"All right, just be ready. That's definitely Pokemon fighting over there, I don't want to bring them down on our heads."

Ezreal will move stealthily forward with Spark at his side, preparing to fend off attackers if necessary.

[ladyofluminosity]

Lux nods, unlatching and pulling her staff from her pack. Channeling, she sends a ball of prismatic light down the pathway, hitting one of the stalactites hanging overhead. She quickly moves into the shadows, staff held at the ready.

[makeitquick]

With the light in place, a fair sized battle will be revealed. It's a battle between several rock type pokemon and several ice type pokemon. Specifically, the rock side is largely composed of Roggenrola and Arons (though there may or may not be a single Onix there too) and the ice side is made of Swinub and Snorunt. While there are a far few injured or knocked out on both sides, it is clear that the rock side is losing - they are being backed into a corner because of the abuse of wide-hitting ice moves which put them at a type disadvantage.

A few of the pokemon notice the newfound light source, but most of the are invested in the battle.

It is worth noting that the ferocity of the battle has knocked down a few stalactites.

[myfedorarocks]

Ice types. Flemming hesitates. He has an affinity with ice types, but he also isn't foolish enough to break up a fight. Edwin at his side paws at the dirt, clearly perturbed by the fighting Arons. Edwin himself was still young enough to have not seen much in the way of combat.

"This is getting dangerous," he murmurs.

[indy_wannabe]

"We don't have a lot of time. We need to break this up and fast, they're gonna bring the cave down at this rate. Lux, I think your new friend might be needed to draw a line. If we go in together we might be able to put a stop to this. It's dangerous, but being caught in a cave in is arguably moreso."

He's already calling Prickly, Scout, and his own Roggenrola, Smasher, which Lux at least can be sure he didn't have when he came in.

[for_realsies]

Brighteyes twitches his ears a few times and runs off down the tunnel, the way they came. Only to return in a few moments on the shoulder of Imogen, making little Eevee noises as his partner walks, rather comfortably, with her eyes closed. Her eyes will adjust back to normal soon enough, but for now she'll let her partners see for her.

"My guess is that they're from the peaks, like Coldwave is. Something's up there and it's got the locals nervous. Some of them found their way down here and haven't been able to go back." Imogen figured some explanation of the problem would help. Coldwave, currently, is hiding behind some rocks about three paces back, but still within sight of the group if they look past Imogen. This was definitely something in the bad column, and the bear wanted nothing to do with it. Imogen continued, "We need to separate them and try to figure out what's going on. I'll never get anyone to talk while they fight."

[ladyofluminosity]

While it was not her first choice to go in, Ezreal was probably right--nothing would happen unless someone acted. "Okay, Martha, bring us in." Climbing back up, the Onix offered its tail out for the others to climb up.

They needed someone to charge in? Why not the biggest freaking thing in this joint?

NPCing which I hope is an apt time yooo

[makeitquick]

When the Onix gets closer to the group, the rock types all look up at the Onix as someone else who is native here, a potential ally. And the ice types all seem immediately wary. The fighting does stop... but only for a moment. Several of the Swinubs on the side of the ice-types decide to strike first, launching some powder slows at new group.

For the people who can hear the thoughts of pokemon, while most of them are absorbed in the battle at the moment, the rock types appear to be defending their home and the ice types appear to have fled out of their home, and gotten in this fight as a result. That's all that can be clearly discerned up in the midst of the fighting, though.

[indy_wannabe]

Ezreal and Spark nod at each other and dodge out of the way of the ice, launching a wave of electricity in both directions, not targeting the Pokemon but trying to make it unwise to move into the area. Meanwhile, Prickly and Scout, lay out some Confusion and Hypnosis, again not necessarily targeting everyone but trying to make a "no move zone".

"STOP!"

[ladyofluminosity]

Lux and Camille would follow suit, each locking a small group down with snares and a well-placed Thunder Wave attack. Raising her tail, the rocks around Onix began to float, quickly launching themselves at either group and stopping just short, acting as a barrier between the two.